Council for the Australian Federation

The Council for the Australian Federation (CAF) was formed to support and enhance our federal system by providing a forum for state and territory leaders in Australia to discuss and resolve important issues independently of the Commonwealth.

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Message from the Chair

It is with great pleasure I chair the Council for the Australian Federation (CAF) in 2018.

CAF remains an important forum for collective action on national issues.

It is a chance for leaders of Australia’s states and territories to come together to pursue common interests and achieve joint success for the betterment of our people.

2018 is an important year for CAF to elevate its pursuit for action. As a group, we will continue to use federalism to our advantage to progress key national priorities.

This includes improvements to education and health and securing fair funding arrangements for vital services.

We will work together to tackle top priorities such as Closing the Gap, unemployment, energy costs and economic development. We will examine opportunities to streamline and simplify our funding arrangements with the Commonwealth, ensuring our federation is efficient, effective and focused.

I look forward to a focused year of working towards common goals with my CAF colleagues to jointly achieve solutions.

About the Council for the Australian Federation

Each state and territory Premier or Chief Minister is a member of CAF. Victoria was instrumental in establishing CAF in 2006 and former South Australian Premier Mike Rann was the inaugural Chair.

In 2013 the Council reviewed its operations and reaffirmed its objectives. The Council's objectives are to:

work toward common understanding of the States' and Territories' positions in relation to policy issues involving the Commonwealth Government; and

take a leadership role on key national policy issues, including the Federation, that are not addressed by the Commonwealth Government.